The Final Day | #FeBoost Day 12

Here we are, on the final day of the #FeBoost challenge! It’s hard to believe that it’s already over, the time has really flown by. I’m amazed that I still managed to have two huge boxes of stuff to get rid of, especially when I thought I was already as low as I could go. It’s also encouraged me to declutter some areas that weren’t in this challenge (like my kitchen or sentimental items) in the next couple of weeks.

For our last day, we’re going to be moving away from the physical decluttering and focusing a little more on our mind. I’ve devised a few questions to help you streamline your life beyond your possessions, so that you can change your lifestyle for good (now that you won’t be hindered by tripping over all your junk!)

The questions are divided into 3 main categories – your time, your mind and your shopping habits. Hopefully you’ll find all of them useful!

All you’re going to need for today is a notebook (or even just a blank page) and your favourite pen – simples! If you like, you could even do a spread in your bullet journal.

We’ve got a lot to get through, so I won’t ramble on any longer, let’s get started!

What do you spend most of your time doing? We’re not looking for an ideal week yet, this one should be a realistic representation of what you do everyday. Think about last week for example, did you stay at work every night until 10pm? Did you spend 2 hours watching YouTube videos? Don’t judge yourself, just write it down.

If you have monthly commitments (like being on a leaders rota at a local youth group) jot that down on the corresponding days too, even if they’re not happening every week, they’re still taking up a significant portion of your time.

Write down the 5 things you value the most. It can be anything you like, maybe it’s your faith, your family, your job, your home – anything that you think is important to you. This is the time to be idealistic, even if it’s something that isn’t a prevalent part of your week right now, if it’s something you value, put it on the list.

Say you’ve written, ‘spend time with family’ as something you value, but in your weekly evaluation you notice you spend all of Saturday watching Netflix in bed, substitute it!

The same goes for other commitments. Even if you’ve been a Girl Guide leader for 10 years, if it’s no longer fulfilling, and you’re no longer passionate about it, it’s better to take a step back now than to run yourself into the ground – you’ll be no use to anyone if you’re exhausted.

Now that we’ve decided what things we want in our week, it’s time to incorporate those into our routine. By an ‘ideal week’ I don’t mean a week where the dishes wash themselves and you don’t have to go to work. Instead, I mean a weekly plan where at least a couple of hours a day are spent doing something you value. Even if it’s something as simple as waking up early to have breakfast with your husband or arranging a weekly movie night with your friends.

We all have those little nags that keep us up, tossing and turning, at night. It might be something as simple as not doing the dishes after dinner, or something larger like not making it to the gym. Make a list of all these little pet peevs that might seem like a lot of work at the time, but will bug you later if you skip it.

Eventually, this list could be positioned by your bed or on your fridge as a mental checklist before you call it a day.

If you’re having a bad day, or need a bit of a pamper, it’s really useful to have a list of activities you can fall back on and know will make you feel better. For me, my go-to is always to paint my nails. I just find something about it so therapeutic!

This list is the place to go when you feel crappy or are having a bad day, to get yourself smiling again, so try not to make the activities too grand. I love traveling too, but it’s not exactly a spontaneous activity!

We all have different times when we feel that need to shop. For some, it will be when they’re bored, when they’re hanging out with friends, when they’re sad etc. For me, it’s when I’m celebrating, if I ace an assignment at uni, I want to reward myself, and so I take to the bear trap that is internet shopping.

This is yet another time not to be judgemental, you’re not trying to punish yourself, you just want to be aware.

Now that you’ve decided when you’re most likely to shop, it’s time to think about what you could do instead. This will very much depend on what your vulnerability is. If you shop when you’re sad, maybe you want to try taking a bubble bath instead. If you shop when you’re celebrating, maybe cook a nice dinner and invite some friends over. Find activities that won’t cost the earth, are simple to achieve and that you genuinely enjoy.

Next time you find yourself scrolling through the ASOS website, shut the laptop, whip out your list and get out of there!

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I know this was a little bit different, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway! There’s so much more to decluttering than just your possessions, but I think this was a good starting point. I really hope you’ve all enjoyed this series and that you’ve at least found one area that made a difference.

If you’d like to see more decluttering posts/series in the future let me know in the comments, I’m more than open to specific ideas if there’s anywhere you’d like me to tackle!